Louise Martin & Lynn MeskellCambridge Archaeological Journal 22:3 (October 2012): 401-419.
This article presents a study of the zoomorphic figurine assemblage from Neolithic Çatalhöyük in central Turkey. Figurine manufacture, depositional condition and contexts of discard are discussed, to find that their fragmentation seems related to fabrication methods and use rather than intentional breakage.
Oliver Dietrich, Manfred Heun, Jens Notroff, Klaus Schmidt & Martin ZarnkowAntiquity 86:333 (September 2012): 674–695.
Göbekli Tepe is one of the most important archaeological discoveries of modern times, pushing back the origins of monumentality beyond the emergence of agriculture. We are pleased to present a summary of work in progress by the excavators of this remarkable site and their latest thoughts about its role and meaning.
Lindy CreweOxford Journal of Archaeology 31:3 (August 2012): 225-243.
During the transition from the Middle to Late Bronze Age, Cyprus became a full participant in the Levantine maritime interaction sphere. This is reflected in the archaeological record by a dramatic increase in the Cypriot pottery found in the surrounding region, widely assumed to be the by-product of an (archaeologically invisible) external demand for Cypriot copper.
Vanessa BoschloosJournal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections 4:2 (June 2012): 5-16.
This contribution reassesses the date and origin of a particular group of cornelian and red jasper scarabs, displaying line designs such as crosses and stars on their bases. The numbers that surfaced in the southern Levant and the Aegean have led scholars to attribute them to Ramesside Egyptian, Late Bronze Age IIB/III Palestinian, or even Middle Minoan II workshops.
Elena Maragoudaki & Panayiotis K. KavvourasArchaeological and Anthropological Sciences 4:3 (2012): 199-208.
The present study aims to answer questions of utility and efficiency, on the basis of archaeological evidence, of the nominated Mycenaean shipwright tool kit through experimental methods. The target set was established through the recording of archaeological data, examination of the available findings, classification of the finds,gathering of the relevant sources (literature, iconography, archeological parallels and preserved traces), reconstruction of the findings (casting, elaboration of the metallic parts and reconstruction of the hafts), usage of the reconstructed tools and the evaluation of them qualitatively, quantitatively and ergonomically via the reconstruction of a segment of the Uluburun shipwreck hull.
Bogdan Athanassov, Raiko Krauss & Vladimir SlavčevHorejs, B. & Pavúk, P. (eds), Aegean and Balkan Prehistory, 26-03-2012
Almost 40 years after the first systematic contemplations on the subject of Aegean influence on Balkan swords of the second millennium BC, important questions such as, for example, the swords’ exact position in time, the Aegean influence visible upon them, and the manner of contacts between the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean that contributed to the transfer of objects or ideas, are still largely unanswered.
Kountouri, E., N. Petrochilos, D. Koutsoyiannis, N. Mamassis, N. Zarkadoulas, A. Vött, H. Hadler, P. Henning & T. Willershäuser3rd IWA Specialized Conference on Water & Wastewater Technologies in Ancient Civilizations, Istanbul, Turkey, 2012: 467-476.
The attempt to drain the Kopais Lake is one of the most impressive and ambitious technical works of prehistoric times in Greece. The size and the importance of this achievement inspired myths and traditions referring to its construction and operation, as well as to its final destruction, which is attributed to Heracles.
A. N. Angelakis, D. Koutsoyiannis & P. Papanicolaou3rd IWA Specialized Conference on Water & Wastewater Technologies in Ancient Civilizations, Istanbul, Turkey, 2012: 172–177.
Several different types of conduits were found in archaeological excavations in Crete belonging to the Minoan period. They were used for water supply as well as for stormwater and wastewater removal and are made of stone or terracotta.
The aim of this article is to introduce a new, inter-disciplinary and international, long-term research project, the Koutroulou Magoula Archaeology and Archaeological Ethnography Project, to outline its aims and report on some of its results.
Gregory N. Tsokas, Aleydis Van de Moortel, Panayiotis I. Tsourlos, Alexandros Stampolidis, George Vargemezis & Eleni ZahouHesperia 81:3 (2012): 383-432.
Various geophysical methods were used to explore the subsurface of the prehistoric site of Mitrou. Geophysical research was essential for selecting significant areas for excavation as well as for guiding archaeological fieldwork and complementing its results.
The appearance of wheelmade pottery in the Mediterranean during the last phase of the Early Bronze Age is usually interpreted as the direct result of the invention of the fast wheel and of the wheel-throwing technique.
Jason Walker EarleJournal of Mediterranean Archaeology 25:1 (2012): 3-25.
Recent discussions of Mycenaean long-distance exchanges with the ‘East’ have focused on the goods exchanged, their means of production and shipment, and their significance for consumers. Despite voluminous research on these topics, consideration of Mycenaean long-distance exchanges with the eastern Mediterranean vis-à-vis the Cycladic islands during the Palatial Period has been minimal.
Cynthia EllerJournal of Mediterranean Archaeology 25:1 (2012): 75-98.
Recent biographies of Sir Arthur Evans and histories of his excavations at Knossos have made it clear that Evans’s description of Minoan religion was not solidly based on the material evidence at Knossos. By the time Evans wrote The Palace of Minos he was fully committed to the belief that the Minoans worshipped a single Great Mother Goddess in many guises, along with a subordinate male deity, her son.
Chloë N. Duckworth, Julian Henderson, Frank J.M. Rutten & Kalliopi NikitaJournal of Archaeological Science 39:7 (July) 2012: 2143-2152.
Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is applied to the study of four samples of opaque glass of Late Bronze Age date. The technique is uniquely capable of identifying compositional heterogeneity at a sub-micron resolution within the crystalline opacifiers dispersed through homogeneous glass matrices.
George Ferentinos, Maria Gkioni, Maria Geraga & George PapatheodorouJournal of Archaeological Science 39:7 (July 2012): 2167-2176.
This paper summarises the current development in the southern Ionian Islands (Kefallinia and Zakynthos) prehistory and places it within the context of seafaring. Archaeological data from the southern Ionian Islands show human habitation since Middle Palaeolithic going back to 110 ka BP yet bathymetry, sea-level changes and the Late Quaternary geology, show that Kefallinia and Zakynthos were insular at that time.
